Guiding Light
by Yotsuba101
Summary: Persephone is the Dark Messenger's sidekick and niece, Guiding Light. Being alone with no contact other than her uncle is killing her inside, until he makes the decision to send her to San Francisco, to be with the Teen Titans...  BBxOC
1. The Dark Messenger and his Guiding Light

I sat on my bed, struggling to take off my now completely thrashed boots. This last battle had finally done it, damn near ripped the whole sole off. I was so pissed that I could practically feel the heat radiating off my body. The more I thought of the argument that escalated between Willis and I on the way home, the more I felt the rage build up inside.

As I finally pulled my right boot down my calf, Willis came to my door, still in his black and gray uniform. I glared up at him, my light brown eyes filled with defiance, but he just adverted his gaze. The silver, swirling tattoos that framed them seemed to lose their luster.

"I'll order new boots for you tonight, I promise." he said softly. Something about the way he said it seemed to push my anger even further. "I can go to the mall tomorrow and get them my damn self, thank you very much." I replied through gritted teeth. Willis sighed and leaned against my doorframe. "Don't start Persi; you know that it's not going to happen." I felt hot tears rush up into my eyes. "Why? God damn it, I'm not like you or Mom! I'm normal, I'm like Dad, and I can have a life!" I screamed at him. I felt the tears start to stream down my face, efficiently ruining my dark make up that raccooned my eyes; it made my eyes seem brighter when wearing my mask.

Willis leaned against my doorframe and looked at me. "We've already had this conversation, and I don't appreciate you bringing up my sister or Emmet like that. It's too risky, you'd be in danger and I wouldn't know." he said, face growing stern. "I can fend for myself! You're overly protective; you won't let me see anybody! You won't even let me contact my old friends!" I began to sob, the pain in my chest was overwhelming. Willis sighed, "That was 4 years ago, and they've long forgotten you by now. You don't need friends, your mother and I were just fine without them, and we were for most of our lives."

"But you had to be alone! You're tattoos singled you out, but I don't have any tattoos! I look normal!"

"You're still one of us."

"If I don't have any interaction with anyone but you, I'll kill myself! I swear I will!" "Persephone!"

I bit my tongue when he yelled. We looked at one another for awhile, until the anger in his face subsided. "I'm sorry," he apologized before pulling the hood of his cloak over his face. "The League… They have requested to see me tonight, I must be going. There are leftovers in the fridge. Keep the doors locked." He walked out of my room and down the hall silently. I heard the back door open and close and began to cry harder.

The loneliness seemed unbearable. After a minute or two, I sat up and began to pull off my socks and spandex shorts quietly. Then I sat up and unzipped my sleeveless black corset dress and peeled it off as well. I threw the items to the pile in the corner of my bed with the minor accessories I had discarded earlier. I curled up under my covers and covered my head. The lights were still on, but I turned them off easily, feeling the power tingle in my finger tips. I turned over and fell into a dreamless sleep.

~Next Morning~

I awoke to the sun shining bright in my eyes, somebody turned up the blinds. I sat up and went to find some pjs before walking outside my room. I heard whistling coming from the kitchen and the smell of food cooking. I peeked around the corner and saw Willis whistling and pouring batter into the waffle maker.

He looked over at me, not at all startled (the perks of being a psychic). "About time you got in here," he scanned my face and smiled. "Raccoon girl." I stared back at him confused but then I remembered that I never removed my makeup, I must've looked like a mess.

He turned back to the waffle maker and sighed. "I wanted to make up for last night, so I bought this waffle maker on the way home, but it's not very hot. It cooks very slow." He looked back me over his shoulder and flashed a sheepish smile. I sighed and looked at the waffle maker; I began to make it hotter for him. "Thanks, now you should go get dressed." "What? But I just woke up." "You'll be leaving soon." My eyes widened. "Crimes this early in the morning? Where are we going today?" Willis laughed, "I said that *you'll* be leaving soon."

I stared at him, completely confused. He smiled at me mischievously, "The League made a suggestion to me last night, of which I agreed completely with. I bought luggage bags for you as well." Willis rolled out two large black and pink polka dotted luggage bags. "They told you to get rid of me?" I cried, mouth gaping out of shock. Willis laughed at my reaction. "No, not quite," he said. "But you are leaving, to San Francisco."

I plopped down onto a dining room table chair and ran my hands through my medium length, layered hair. "This is not a very funny joke you know." I said quietly. Willis went to the waffle maker and dished up the waffle onto a plate. He sat across from me and set the plate in front of me.

"Persi, you said you want friends, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, you will have some; I just made sure of it." I looked at him like he was crazy.

"There's a group of kids -er- _teenagers_ there, they're like us. They keep most of the west coast safe, the only reason that we're positioned here is because it's a little hard for them to get here. I can handle these low level crimes here without you, but they can use you."

He looked into my eyes and I could see the excitement flowing out of him. "I don't understand…" I said softly. Willis's smile only grew larger. "They're called the Teen Titans, and you're going to join them. You're going to have friends."


	2. Friends?

I stepped up to the luggage claim and grabbed my two large suitcases. The short one hour flight didn't seem worth the money, but Willis insisted on it. They were already expecting me. It seemed to be a hasty decision to me, this all happened in one night. I made my way through the clusters of people and out into the street, they were sending somebody to picking me up. Everything was ready for me. I stood there, awkwardly. How would I know who was picking me up? I've seen in movies that people would stand there with the person's name on a sign, but I don't think they really do that. I pulled my beanie down a little. Willis said I should try to be as incognito as possible, but the Titans know how I look like and they would find me. I was getting annoyed with my bangs being pushed way down to my nose though, plus it looked stupid. I teetered on the balls of my feet nervously. Where were they? Then I heard the sound of a bass booming. I thought they ought to turn down their music, especially in a place like this. I heard gasps all around me. I turned my head and followed the people's gazes. They were watching a blue machine like car come down the street, the source of the bass. They began to whisper. It rolled up and stopped in front of me, the door opened. A rather large half mechanical black man was sitting in the driver's seat, he smiled warmly. "Persephone?" he asked. I nodded back at him; I couldn't help but to stare. They back door opened and I broke my stare. I hurriedly placed my luggage in the back seat and then jumped into the passenger seat. The door closed and we zoomed off. I sat there awkwardly, fumbling to put on my seat belt as the man turned down the music. "I'm glad to finally meet you Persephone, I'm Cyborg." He said, not taking his eyes off the road. "Um, hello. Are you with the Titans?" I asked nervously, he was so large. He chuckled, "Of course! Soon you'll be with us too." I wracked my brain for something to say, I wouldn't let this car ride get awkward. "Are they nice?" I wanted to hit myself, what a lame question. "Well sure they are. Our "leader", Robin, is very nice. And our alien girl, Starfire, is very friendly too but is still a little confused about our planet. And there's a guy named Beast Boy, he's a little girl crazy and annoying but a good friend. Then there's Raven, she will seem a little cold, but that's just how she is. She'll warm up to you after awhile." He said. You nodded and thought for a minute. Robin? Name was familiar- "BATMAN'S ROBIN?" I exclaimed. Cyborg laughed a little. "Yup, that's our Robin alright." I smiled a little. Robin was the only reason why I ever decided to be Willis's sidekick; his name is almost as popular as his master's is. "Sooo," Cyborg began. "The Dark Messenger, is he nice?" "I guess," I answered. "He's a little bit of a worry wart but he's ok." "A worry wart? I never thought he would be described as that. I figured he'd be more like his alias." Now it was my turn to laugh. "Its funny how he's a telepath, but I'm the one who can read him like a book. Don't get me wrong, he's a great fighter and all, but if I skinned my knee he would probably throw a fit." I said smugly. Cyborg laughed again. "Hey look, you can sort of see the tower from here." He said, pointing out the window. Sure enough, I saw the yellow T shaped tower on the horizon. "So… Why didn't you disguise yourself when you picked me up?" I asked, it had been on my mind for awhile now. He raised his eyebrow at me. "Why would I? Incase you didn't notice from the look of our headquarters, we're not into hiding. We go out for pizza all the time." He said. I smiled. I think I'm going to be happy here.

~At the Tower~

Cyborg helped me with my luggage as we walked out of the garage and into the elevator. I began to grow even more nervous, what if I don't fit in? I haven't been around others in awhile. I watched as the red flashing floor number steadily ascended. Top floor, this is it. Cyborg grabbed both of my suitcases and walked ahead of me. From behind him I could see a large black leather couch with people sitting on it watching a large flat screen TV. "Say hello to your new team mate you guys!" Cyborg said loudly. They all turned around and stared at me as I walked out from behind Cyborg. Robin, the only one I could recognize, smiled and stood up. He walked up to you and held out his hand. "Welcome to the team, Guiding Light." I shook his hand. "I can't wait to fight with you guys. And, um, I'd prefer that you call me Persi." I felt my face grow hot, why did I say that? I must sound like a dork! A red haired girl with the brightest green eyes that I've ever seen flew right over the couch and floated in front of me. "Greetings new friend! I am Starfire; I can't wait to have parties of the slumber with you!" Starfire threw her arms around me into a bone crushing hug. "Greetings." I gasped out. She let go and stood next to Robin, still beaming at me. A slim boy who was had green skin, hair, and eyes walked up next. "Sweet! They wouldn't tell me whether you were a girl or not-"Cyborg cut him off by punching him in his head. "Ok ok, I'm Beast Boy, nice to meet you." I giggled a bit. "Nice to meet you too." I saw another girl with short purple hair walk up quietly with a book in her hand. "I'm Raven." She said in monotone before walking back to the couch. "Hi?" Robin put his hand on your shoulder to grab your attention. "Well, Persi, how about we show you to your temporary room and then see what you can do?" I nodded in agreement and followed him and Cyborg down the hall.

*General POV*

Beast Boy and Starfire sat back down on the couch next to Raven. "Wow, we finally have a hot girl on the team!" Beast Boy exclaimed boyishly, earning a glare from Starfire and Raven. "Are Raven and I not very warm girls?" Starfire asked, eyes carrying a deadly glow. "No! I didn't mean it like that! I swear!" He cried and backed up to the other side of the couch. Raven sighed. "Beast Boy," she began. "You really ought to stop thinking about girls in that sort of way. Quite a few have more attributes than just being 'hot'" She stood up and began to walk to the training field. Starfire and Beast Boy looked after her with wide eyes. "Did you hear what I just heard?" he asked. Starfire nodded. "Oh my."

*Persephone's POV*

Robin opened one of the many doors in the hall and smiled at me. "This will be your temporary room; Cyborg will be working on your real one." I walked in and surveyed the large and bright room. Cyborg set down my bags. "The training field is on the bottom floor, right out the back. You can go ahead and get situated, we'll be waiting." He said. He and Robin walked out and closed the door behind them. I took a deep breath and fell down onto the soft bed. So far, so good. I probably shouldn't keep them waiting too long, but I needed to take a breather. I sat back up and dug into my suitcase for my uniform. I hesitantly looked out the window that took over the whole northern wall. I was so high up that no one could see me, so I decided to go ahead and change my clothes. I took off my street clothes and hurriedly put on my uniform. I pulled up my new boots and realized that I hadn't broken them in. I might as well hope for the best. I grabbed my small makeup bag and rushed to the small bathroom to thicken my eye make-up. I put on my half mask and my gloves. I rushed towards the door, how long have I kept them waiting? As soon as I threw open the door, I came face-to-face with Beast Boy, who had his hand up like he was about to knock. My face grew hot and I took a step back. "Um, hi," he stuttered. "I thought that – maybe that- are you ready?" I nodded back, to nervous to say anything. "The others are waiting in the training field already, I thought you might like some company." He said quietly before turning around and walking down the hall. I followed him quietly to the elevator. The ride down was quiet and awkward, we ended up just being quiet and adverting our eyes. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he would begin to try to say to me, but quickly stop himself and shake his head. He was defiantly shyer when alone. We made it to the bottom floor and walked through one of the doors. My jaw dropped. The training field was inside a huge dome that was filled with trees and rocks and lakes. It seemed to go on forever. "The course is essentially in 3 parts," Cyborg said "the parts you see here with the trees, there are some surprises around though out. And then you'll get to another part which is mostly rock, be careful stepping around there. Then from there you should be able to see the finish line, but you'll have to figure out the last part yourself." I nodded and looked towards the course. "You can start whenever you're ready." Robin said, giving you an encouraging smile. I took a deep breath and concentrated. I'll do this as fast as I can and get through it. Willis taught me well and I can take a hit, I will be fine.


	3. Persephone

I took another deep breath and then rushed the course, running along the path in between the trees. Everything felt like slow motion because of my new boots, I could go much faster than this! Then I heard the sound of lasers and my first thought was to hit the ground. I hit the dirt hard and realized how amateurish I must've looked. Thelasers shot right over my head. 'Gotta go, gotta run' I jumped back up and forced my feet to go faster. The lasers rang through my ears again. 'What do I do?' I hit the ground again and decided to fight back a little. Raising my arm towards a laser nestled in a tree trunk; I shot it with a beam of light. I needed to go faster and hitting the ground was slowing me down. I stood up and took off, hitting each laser with my beams. I saw rocks in the distance and remembered Cyborg's advice, but I could see no way to get off the path. I went for it and out of the rocky hills' sides popped out more lasers. They all followed my movements and began to shoot. I picked up my pace a bit and leaped on top of the first large laser, leaping to the next as it was blown to pieces. I leaped from one to another, shooting the lasers on the other side with my beams. I looked ahead of me and the yellow finish line was already in my view. I jumped off the last laser and went in for a barrel roll, only to be hit by something bright green. I hit the ground hard and skidded a few feet. The wind was knocked out of me. I struggled to get on my feet and barely dodged another one of the bolts. I looked up at the source. Starfire was floating up in the air, her eyes glowing green. "I am sorry new friend, but I must not let you get to the finish line!" She yelled to me before shooting another bolt at me. I held my hands out, creating a small shield of light. The bolt hit my shield and ringing went up through my arms. I concentrated on making the shield and walked to the side as quickly as possible. Starfire kept on relentlessly with her starbolts. I looked to the side and could see the finish line. I looked back up at her; she saw the finish line too. She held her hand out and a lasting beam hit me. My shield shattered and I fell to my butt. The power was too much. I jumped up and ran for it before stooping down and grabbing a large rock. I felt her bolts at my heels and I shot back over my shoulder with my light, attempting to make them hotter and larger. She dodged most of them easily but it still pushed her back. I heard her make an angry cry and looked over my shoulder. She was flying towards me, aiming to tackle me from the sky. I turned around and stood my ground, clutching the rock in one hand. I felt it heat up through my glove and then it burst into flame. She came at me, arms extended to grab me and I punched her in the stomach with the rock. She gasped for air and her eyes went back to normal in her moment of pain. I did a fast round house kick to her head. She flew off to the side and hit the ground. I raced the rest of the way to the finish line and bent over to catch my breath. I wasn't used to such an earthy setting; pavement was much easier to run on. I looked back behind me to see Robin helping Starfire up. I was scared, how badly did I hurt her? She looked up at me, a large goofy smile taking up half of her face. Her stomach was barely scathed. She must've been going easy on me, these guys are tough. "Congratulations Persi!" she said happily. I felt a large hand on my shoulder and turned around. I looked up at Cyborg and he handed me a communicator with a large T on the front. "Welcome to the team Persi. Now, who wants pizza?" he yelled. Beast Boy and Starfire jumped up saying 'We do! We do!' and I laughed. The team led me out of the training field, complementing my execution of the course (though I'm pretty sure they were only saying it to be nice). I clutched the cold metal communicator in my hand. 'I made it; I really made it.' I couldn't wait for everybody to see me in the city. They would see me in my uniform, they would see me as a hero, and they would see me as a Teen Titan

*At the Pizza Place*

I got out of Cyborg's car with Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg. Starfire had ridden with Robin on his motorcycle. I spent the last 20 minutes in what must've been Hell. Beast Boy's lame jokes and Raven's put downs came first. Then Cyborg and Beast Boy argued about getting meat on the pizza. I had sunk into the passenger seat most of the ride attempting to tune all of them out. I had also been peering into the side view mirror and admiring the look of my mask, not remembering the last time I had worn it for so long. 'Did I look heroic?' I wondered. We walked into the spacious pizza place and the man at the counter smiled widely at our arrival. He went around the counter and Robin went to talk to him. The customers inside looked at the Titans with admiration in their eyes, they whispered to each other and smiled. It was like they didn't even notice me. 'I look like a super hero though right? I have the mask and everything!'They seemed to look right past me, I got nervous again. 'These guys must be amazing; I probably look like a joke next to them.' I stared at my feet as if they had become very interesting. I heard Robin talking to the owner who was about to lead us to the roof, to the Titan's "special" table. Beast Boy threw his arm over my shoulders suddenly and I stared up at him. "Don't feel so out of place," he said "You're one of us now, remember?" he flashed a fanged smile at me and my face heated up. He gave me some reassurance and I gave him a shaky smile back. The others had already begun to walk up the stairs. He took his arm back and nodded for me to follow him. We reached the roof and I sat down in between Beast Boy and Cyborg at the spacious table. BAD IDEA. They began to scream over the top of my head, arguing about what to get on the pizza. "Guys! Knock it off!" Robin interceded. They stopped and crossed their arms, still heated up. Robin sighed. "Maybe we should let Persi decide?" he offered."This is a celebration for her remember?"All eyes were on me. Cyborg and Beast Boy both looked at me, begging me with their eyes. "Um, what if we got half of what Cyborg wants and half of what Beast Boy wants? If you guys don't mind…" I said quietly. "Well, it's not a bad idea." Cyborg said. "Then we are at an agreement!" Starfire said. The waiter came up the stairs and Robin rattled off the order to him. Once the man went down stairs, Robin turned to me. "So, Persi," Robin began, taking out a file. "The League sent me this earlier; it's a copy of your file. I read it earlier, but do you mind if I fill the others in on you?" "Oh, sure, go ahead." I said, I never knew that they kept a file on me, but I should have figured. Robin opened the file. "Ok, Persephone Mowry/Guiding Light, 16 years old, Partnerships: Willis Bay/The Dark Messenger - and now the Teen Titans," he added on and smiled at me. "Abilities consist of: peak human level athlete, excellent observational skills, manifestation of light (heat and fire as well), shows signs of empathy, telepathy, and astral projection to certain extent. Daughter of Emmet Mowry/Ember (deceased) and Vernita Bay-Mowry/Dismal (Unknown)." Raven's head shot up from her book. "Dismal was your mother?" she asked, staring at me intently. I was so shocked by her that I could only nod. "You know of this 'Dismal', Raven?" Starfire asked her. Raven nodded. "Her psychokinetic abilities were very strong for someone her age. When I first came in contact with the League, they said that I could perhaps be like her one day. They said that it was an honor to be compared to her..." she looked down at her lap quietly. "So what happened to her?" Beast Boy asked. Raven shot him a death glare and he looked back, obviously clueless. "Um, no one is sure actually," I said. "When Dad was killed, everybody assumed that Mom was killed too, but since they never found her body –well- they didn't know for sure." I remembered how often Willis would mutter about them. He would say 'If only I had been there' over and over again. "I am very sorry new friend Persi! I have lost loved ones before as well." Starfire said. "Don't sweat it," I said, trying to ease the somber tension that now hung over us. "I have my uncle and now I have you guys too. It's fine! Really!" I flashed the most convincing smile that I could muster. Robin helped me. "Yeah team, she has us now. We're gonna teach her how to real fun." he smiled at me warmly. The man came back up the stairs with two pizzas. "Okay guys," Cyborg said. "Lets eat!"


End file.
